Just Us Boys
by SadaraLochlan
Summary: Perry, Hamilton, Paul, Tragg, and Andy vanish on a weekend camping trip to escape the hustle and bustle of the city and their daily lives.
1. The Great Outdoors

"Hey Paul, how would you like to join me, Hamilton, and a few other boys on a camping trip this weekend?"

Paul stopped abruptly in front of the chair he normally hijacked when he visited Perry's Mason's office and regarded the legendary defense attorney with skepticism. Surely, this had to be a smokescreen or joke or something because normally Paul was summoned to Perry's office for an eleventh hour errand. Sometimes Paul wondered if his hair had gone prematurely white from the stress associated with those eleventh hour errands. Also reeking of bullshit was the inclusion of the names Hamilton and Tragg.

"Is that supposed to be funny?" Paul asked, lighting up a cigarette and dropping his tall frame into the chair finally.

"Not at all," Perry replied, though that mischievous smirk of his tugged at his lips. "Even though we usually work on opposing ends of these cases, we often end up working closely together. I think it would be beneficial for all of us to get to know one another better."

Paul remained unconvinced. "Are you certain you're not just pulling my leg because I just can't imagine you wanting to spend a weekend hanging out with Burger and Tragg? Whose bright idea was this anyway?"

"Well mine and Hamilton's. We got to talking about a case over lunch and then the conversation shifted to hobbies and whatnot. It seems we all have a fondness for the great outdoors so we thought a weekend camping would be a fun way to get to know each other better."

"Well, I think it's a wonderful idea," Della chimed in, preparing coffee for everyone. "As hard as you all work and the long hours you devote to it, you could all use a weekend away from the city and out in the fresh air. And look on the bright side, Paul; if Perry is out there with you there's no way he can give you any assignments."

"You know, beautiful has a point," Paul acknowledged, exhaling a plume of smoke. "Count me in."

A triumphant grin was Perry's only response. He could always count on Della to back him up.

W^^^W^^^W

Perry and Paul arrived at the campsite about three hours after court had let out for the week. There was the usual rush hour traffic masquerading as a parking lot on the freeway to endure on the way out of town and they'd also stopped for dinner along the way. Thankfully, they'd planned ahead and Mason had picked Paul up in the morning and they'd simply packed all their gear into Mason's car at that time, eliminating the necessity of having to follow Paul back to his place to drop his car off. There'd really been no logical reason to take both cars. Hamilton, Tragg, and Andy would have one or two themselves so there was no danger in being stranded out the boonies in the unlikely event that the car broke down.

Noting that the tent going up was still a work in progress, Perry and Paul deduced that Tragg and Andy had just beat them there by maybe a half hour or so. Given that it was the middle of June, daylight hadn't completely ebbed away, but darkness was fast approaching.

The nearby campfire cast flickering shadows around the campsite and provided some light, though Andy had left his car's headlights on. He wasn't going to want to do that for long though without risking the battery so Perry and Paul exited Perry's car and quickly made their way over to help finish putting the tent up.

"Glad you're here, Mason," Andy said. "It was getting tougher with just the two of us and the daylight vanishing. The headlights help, but only on the side they can shine on. Now someone can hold a flashlight."

"I'll grab one," Paul said, beckoning for Perry to pass the key to the trunk and he hurried back to the car to rummage for one of the flashlights they'd packed.

Tragg finished driving a stake in and glanced up at Perry and then around the campsite, nothing that they were still waiting on Hamilton. "Eh, he should be here soon. Apparently, Alexandra rather enjoys camping from their younger days and was disappointed she couldn't tag along. He probably just got a late start after putting that fire out."

"Or he'll show up with her," Andy warned.

Paul's brows furrowed. "You think he actually would?" At first he'd thought Andy meant that jokingly, but there hadn't been a trace of humor in his voice or in his expression.

"In this instance, I don't think so," Tragg replied. "He needs a break from all those girls he lives with."

They finished threading the final rod of the tent and secured it.

"Well, there we are, gentlemen. Our palace for the weekend," Tragg said, his eyes glinting with amusement. "Shall we move in?"


	2. Guy Talk

"Wait…," Paul said, holding Tragg up with a hand to the other's arm. "All those girls?!"

Tragg smirked up at the much taller man. One could get a real crick in the neck from having to look up at Paul's towering frame. It didn't help that the handsome detective was often a pain in the ass as well, poking about in business that Tragg felt often didn't concern the younger man.

"Why yes, Mr. Drake. All those girls. Hamilton has four daughters, but don't go getting any bright ideas about pursuing any of them or our fine district attorney will roast you alive over that campfire over there. You mean, your buddy Perry Mason never told you that? You two must not talk as much as I thought."

Grabbing a few sleeping bags out of the trunk of his car, Perry sidled by Tragg and Drake with his own mischievous grin. "If I'd have known it would have gotten Hamilton as fired up as you say, I just might have, Tragg."

Fixing Perry with a withering look, Tragg ambled his way back to his own car to finish helping Andy move in the rest of their gear. He grumbled as he searched his car for the case of beer he bought and mumbled something about hoping he hadn't forgotten it.

Another set of headlights shed some light on Tragg's situation as Hamilton Burger finally pulled up.

"It seems I missed out on the best part!" He joked, climbing out of his car and letting the heavy door slam shut behind him.

"Oh, you mean the part about setting up camp?!" Tragg clarified sarcastically. He hefted the heavy case of beer he'd finally managed to track down and pressed it into the prosecutor's empty hands. "Well, we wouldn't to deprive you of the full camping experience so we'll let you pack up camp, how about that?"

Laughter erupted from various spots around the campsite and Hamilton grinned enthusiastically as his curmudgeonly old detective as he took the case of beer and gave it an appreciative glance. "I'd be happy to, Tragg. Sorry I'm late. I had to fend off Alexandra and my oldest. I figured in a houseful of women, I'd have no problems departing for a camping trip alone. Apparently I was wrong. Again. As usual."

Paul located a long stick nearby and then plopped himself on a log to stoke the fire. He was aggressive about it as if he was miffed about something.

Perry noticed and chuckled. "Paul here had no idea you had four daughters, Hamilton."

"Yeah, some private detective *I* am," came the self deprecating reply. The truth was Paul wasn't seriously miffed about anything and unless he met and was truly blown away by one of the man's daughters, he couldn't imagine dating one of them for fun. It was just a fun way for Paul to get the prosecutor riled up. Though Paul's luck being what it was, he wouldn't be surprised if the joke ended up being on him in the end.

"You told him, Perry?!"

Hamilton glanced at his courtroom nemesis as if betrayed and wounded, though there was humor in his deep voice. "How could you? I know we're opponents in the courtroom, but can't a father let his daughters out in public without worrying about Paul Drake making a beeline for them?"

"Actually, I told him, Hamilton," Tragg said, carrying some folding lawn chairs over to the campfire and holding one out to Paul. "We came prepared," Tragg winked sarcastically.

Andy, who had wandered off to scout out the nearby area and the stream, finally rejoined them. He tore into the case of beer first and snatched one up and then dropped himself into one of the lawn chairs. "Now now, boys, don't you think you're being too hard on Mr. Drake? It's probably been hours since the last time he hit on a woman."

"Thanks a lot, Andy! Is my reputation as a womanizer that bad?"

Hamilton, who had been assigned the task of providing the food, hefted the cooler out of his trunk and set it next to him by the fire. "Well, let's put it this way, Paul. My oldest looks more like me than her mother unfortunately and I still wouldn't intentionally parade her in front of you. Anyone hungry?"

Hamilton dug through the groceries he brought along and grinned when he found the marshmellows and tossed them at Perry. "Dessert. You can tell I have kids, right?"

"I haven't roasted marshmellows since I was a boy," the defense attorney remarked thoughtfully. What must have been a fond memory from his childhood brightened his handsome face.

"Exactly," the prosecutor confirmed. "If you ever have kids, you'll get to do it again."

The bag of marshmellows was passed around and the soft, white treats were skewered and held near the fire much like fishing rods would be over the stream the next day.

"Don't feel bad, Drake," Tragg consoled, then glanced over at his work partner with another mischievous smirk. "Andy has his own issues with women. As in he hasn't found one because he's too busy looking for bad guys in the bushes back there, isn't that right, Andy?"

Not expecting the conversation to turn on him, Andy faltered, wracking his brain for a response, but could only stammer out that somebody had to be on their toes around there.

The group bellowed in laughter again before Paul sobered up again. He gazed at his roasting marshmallow as if willing it to produce the answers he sought rather than just an airy, puffy treat.

"Did it ever occur to anyone that maybe I *am* hoping to find the one?" He mumbled sullenly.

A somber silence befell the group as they digested Paul's rather sudden and personal revelation. Even his good friend, Perry Mason hadn't really thought it ran that deep with Paul.

The fire crackled around them, punctuating the deafening silence of the group.

"You're right, Paul. The teasing was rather tasteless. We're sorry. We weren't trying to mock you seriously."

"I know that, Perry," Paul waved his hand like it was no big deal. "I've never really told anyone how I really feel about never having found the right girl, but a reputation as a womanizer wasn't something I'd hoped would come out of the search, you know?"

"Well now that we know, we'll try to take it easier on you, Mr. Drake," Andy nodded, following Mason's lead.

Taking a swig of his now half empty beer, Burger leaned back in his chair, trying to find some humor in the conversation. It needed humor quick, fast, and in a hurry before everyone began feeling uncomfortable.

"Well, look on the bright side, Paul. You still have your looks to help you out. I'm just glad I found Alexandra when I was young because heaven knows I haven't gotten any prettier over the years."

That earned the redheaded prosecutor some chuckles and even Paul brightened at that. "You know what, Hamilton? You're right. But at least you don't have to go home to an empty house every night. At least that was one case you didn't lose."

Tragg, who was working on his second beer already, inspected the can as if fascinated by it. "Beer makes me sleepy."

Hamilton chuckled at that. "Yeah, me too. Alexandra learned to hand me a few when I came home from the office grumpy about something."

"And you're not an alcoholic," Perry noted with his signature enigmatic smile. "That's impressive, Hamilton."

"Yeah, you're funny, Perry. Well, should we call it an early night and be up early in the morning before it gets hot around here?"


End file.
